Introducing Project Sputnik: Developer laptop
Today I am very excited, I finally get to talk about project Sputnik! In a nutshell, drumroll 
please, here it is:
Made possible by an internal innovation fund, project Sputnik is a 6 month effort to explore the possibility of creating an open source laptop targeted directly at developers. It is based on Ubuntu 12.04 and Dell’s XPS13 laptop.
To put it in context, Sputnik is part of an effort by Dell to better understand and serve the needs of developers in Web companies. We want to finds ways to make the developer experience as powerful and simple as possible. And what better way to do that than beginning with a laptop that is both highly mobile and extremely stylish, running the 12.04 LTS release of Ubuntu Linux.
Why a developer laptop
When we first started setting up the web vertical to focus on companies who use the internet as their platform, we brought in Stephen O’Grady of Redmonk to learn as much as we could about the needs of developers. One of the ideas that Stephen tossed out was a Dell laptop running Ubuntu, targeting developers. We thought the idea was pretty cool and filed it away.
As we continued talking to customers and developers the topic of Ubuntu kept coming up and we came across a fair number of devs who were asking for a Dell laptop specifically based on it. To my knowledge, no other OEM has yet made a system specifically targeted at devs and figured it was time to see what that might mean. When the XPS13 launched we realized that we found the perfect platform to start with and when Dell’s incubation program was announced we knew I had the vehicle to get the effort kick started.
I should also add that Ubuntu was a natural choice not only because of its popularity in the Web world but Dell has quite a bit of experience with it. In fact Dell has enabled and pre-installed out-of-the-factory Ubuntu on more computer models than any other OEM.
What’s Sputnik actually running?
The install image available for Sputnik contains
- drivers/patches for Hardware enablement
- a basic offering of key tools and utilities (see the complete list at the end of this entry)
- coming soon, a software management tool to go out to a github repository to pull down various developer profiles.
Hardware enablement
In putting together the project, the area that we focused on first was hardware enablement. As Linux users are all too painfully aware, Linux drivers are not always available for various platforms. We have been working hand in hand with Canonical, the commercial sponsor behind Ubuntu and identified three main areas on the XPS13:
- An issue with brightness
- The Wifi hotkey
- The touchpad and multi touch support
The first two have been resolved but the last one re the touchpad is still at large. The issue is a bit of a pain particularly the lack of palm rejection support which can cause your cursor to jump by mistake. We have contacted the vendor who makes the touchpad and they are sizing the effort to fix this and at the same time we are working with Canonical to find an interim solution.
Developer profile management
Hardware enablement is table stakes but where Sputnik starts to get interesting is when we talk about profiles. No two developers are alike so instead of stuffing the system with every possible tool or app a developer could possibly want, we are trying a different approach. As mentioned above, the actual “stuff” on the install image is pretty basic, instead we are working with a few developers to put together a tool that can go out to a github repository and pull down various developer profiles. The first profiles we are targeting are Android, Ruby and JavaScript.
As a one of our alpha cosmonauts, Charles Lowell, explained (we have been working with three local developers in Austin, Charles, Mike Pav and Dustin Kirkland to put together our initial offering together. And yes I know Sputnik was unmanned but its our project and we wanted to call the testers “cosmonauts.” )
What I’d like to see is not only a gold-standard configuration, but also a meta-system to manage your developer configuration… The devops revolution is about configuration as code. How cool would it be if my laptop configuration were code that I could store in a source repo somewhere?
After we build the management tool and some basic profiles to get the effort started, we are hoping that the community will take over and began creating profiles of their own.
Getting Feedback and UDS activities
The idea is to conduct project Sputnik out in the open. There is a Storm Session that went live this morning on Dell Idea Storm for people to discuss the project and submit feedback, comments and ideas. Later today here at the Ubuntu Developer Summit, Dustin, Mario Limonciello of Dell and I will be hosting a UDS session to discuss Sputnik. Additionally at UDS there is a coding contest that has been kicked off. The three people who write the best Juju charms will each get an XPS13.
The Vision: a Launchpad to the cloud
As mentioned at the start, Sputnik is currently a 6month project to investigate an Ubuntu laptop. If successful, we have big plans for the effort.
When we initially pitched Sputnik to Ubuntu’s founder Mark Shuttleworth a couple months ago he really liked the idea. In his eyes however, he saw something bigger. Where it got really interesting for him was when this laptop was optimized for DevOps. In this scenario we would have a common set of tools from client, to test, to production, thereby tying Sputnik via a common tool chain to a cloud backend powered by OpenStack. Developers could create “micro clouds” locally and then push them to the cloud writ large.
We see a lot of potential in Sputnik to provide developers with a simple and powerful tool. Only time will tell however so stay tuned to this blog, check out the Sputnik Storm session and weigh in on the project, what you’d like to see and how you think it can be made better.
Pau for now…
Extra-credit reading
- Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) Review | Desktop OS | ZDNet
- Ferreting out Innovation
Links and notes
- Sputnik Storm session on idea storm
- Sputnik install image
Touchpad issue
Current behavior is that the touchpad functions as a basic pointing device, but lacks some desirable functionality:
- Pinch, zoom, & flick
- Palm negation (esp. important on larger touchpads where it’s easy for your hand to inadvertently touch the surface)
- Side/edge scrolling
- Two finger scrolling
We have contacted the vendor who makes the touchpad and they are sizing the effort to fix this and at the same time we are working with Canonical to find an interim solution.
Basic Install
== standard meta packages ==
ubuntu-desktop^
standard^
== scm ==
git
git-core
bzr
bzr-gtk
bzr-git
python-launchpadlib
== utilities ==
screen
byobu
tmux
meld
juju
charm-tools
charm-helper-sh
euca2ools
puppet
chef (available post install)
== editors ==
emacs
vim
vim-gnome
== browsers ==
chromium-browser
firefox
== common build tools/utilities & dependencies == fakeroot build-essential crash kexec-tools kvm makedumpfile kernel-wedge fwts devscripts
libncurses5
libncurses5-dev
libelf-dev
asciidoc
binutils-dev
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This entry was posted on Monday, May 7th, 2012 at 9:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
202 Responses to Introducing Project Sputnik: Developer laptop
Cool o.0 Looking forward.
Glad you like it
You’re never going to satisfy everyone with one model. Improving testing for a variety of existing models would probably be better, along with addressing pain points like the craptastic trackpads and difficulty of getting non-Optimus models at the higher end.
I’m currently seeking a laptop for my own dev work – as in I want to buy this week. The only Dell that’s vaguely suitable is the Latitude series with Intel graphics, high-res displays, etc. Alas, they all appear to have incredibly craptastic Alps touchpads that make them horrible to use without an external mouse. I had to do some digging around the ‘net to determine this because Dell’s own sales staff had no idea what the touchpad was or why anybody would care.
The only Latitude with 3G is the one that also has nVidia Optimus graphics. I can’t configure the Intel graphics one with 3G. This seems rather … arbitrary.
Perhaps most importantly, all the Dell laptops I’ve ever had have tended to overheat under load or need to be propped up on elevated stands because of the bottom intakes and lack of bottom clearance.
So, what would I want from this laptop?
- 8GB RAM. Minimum.
- High resolution display. None of that 1330×768 stuff. 4×3 would be great.
- An ACPI firmware (BIOS) that’s been debugged properly, not just hacked until it boots Windows. This matters.
- A Synaptics touchpad
- Intel graphics. Some people will want ATi graphics; almost nobody under Linux will want nVidia Optimus. Intel built-in is the best supported, most reliable, and most power efficient.
- Cooling that works. Not just works at idle, but works when running a 3 hour C++ compile job (try OpenOffice or Mozilla) on a hot Western Australian summer day of 35* C.
- If possible, side air intakes. If they must be underside, intakes with easy to clean filters so I don’t have to take it apart every 3-6 months and clean it.
- A 7200rpm HDD or an SSD. Size doesn’t matter to me, speed does. Others’ preferences vary, but you won’t find anyone who wants a 4200 or 5400rpm spinning disk for dev work.
- A variety of CPU options as everyone’s needs vary.
- a 3G antenna would be kind of nice. Again, people’s needs/wants will vary here.
- Decently built
- QUIET! No whining, whirring, buzzing, clicking and clacking.
What don’t I care about?
- Speakers. Laptop speakers are always bad no matter what’s said about them; some are just less bad than others. Put tiny little ones in and leave space for more useful things.
- Gloss or matte. Opinions here are strong; I personally don’t care, both have advantages.
- Weight. Others care a lot about this, I don’t.
Craig nailed it. I would immediately buy this one for all our developers.
Craig has some very good arguments, but missed one thing, if he wants a specific configuration he should talk directly to a sales rep. on the phone. The website simply doesn’t cut it. At least in Germany this has always been possible.
I’m personally waiting for the Latitude F Series (I REALLY hope there won’t be another E series model) with a seriously updated platform and proper docking station. This will replace my D830 (and D800 before that)
Specs wise I’m expecting:
-Display: resolution WUXGA or higher (ie >=1920×1200)
-Displayport/HDMI video/audio output
-As graphics “card” Intel HD4000 is a must.
Additionally NVIDIA (the best non-free drivers)
and AMD graphics options should be provided.
->=8GB RAM
-Proper USB3.0 integration
-Thunderbold interface
- The easy handling of the D800 cooling system.
ie. just remove 2 screws at the bottom and remove the
ventilator module. That makes cleaning out the dust quick
and simple. No more need to take the machine
apart completely, just to get the dust out.
- 3G/4G: the buildin antennas should support both. The modules
with 3G/4G modems will have to be different in North
America/Europe/Asia to it doesn’t make sens to speculate
about them too much.
- WLAN antennas should allow for at least a/b/g/n support
[...] Dell TechCenter Linux users may be wondering what you get when you cross Ubuntu 12.04 and Dell’s XPS13 laptop? That's easy, Project Sputnik, the new developer laptop initiative! [...]
[...] Dell TechCenter Linux users may be wondering what you get when you cross Ubuntu 12.04 and Dell’s XPS13 laptop? That's easy, Project Sputnik, the new developer laptop initiative! [...]
[...] SPONSORED POSTS Introducing Project Sputnik: Developer laptop [...]
[...] George, director of Dell’s web vertical, unveiled the project on his blog and Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth showed off the Dell XPS13 laptop laptop running Ubuntu [...]
[...] Ubuntu Developer Summit, Dell said it was getting back into Linux-running laptops with Project Sputnik, “a 6 month effort to explore the possibility of creating an open-source laptop targeted [...]
[...] George, director of Dell’s web vertical, unveiled the project on his blog and Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth showed off the Dell XPS13 laptop laptop running Ubuntu [...]
I am completely ecstatic about this! I have been in the market for a ultraportable for quite some time now. I was going to pull the trigger on a MacBook Air.
As a computer science student, It is my own personal opinion that Linux is the only way to go. And this just sweetens the deal. Just because of this you have persuaded one user to buy your laptop.
Thank you, Thank you very much!
Glad to hear!!
If properly executed , there is no doubt that you will have a winner on your hands. While the MBA can run all 3 OS natively(non-virtualized). It however does run it semi-well, requiring tinkering and limitations.
Should we expect pre-installed systems in Q3?
Again thank you for remembering that some people need their computers for more than just surfing the web, listening to music and gaming.
[...] Ubuntu Developer Summit, Dell said it was getting back into Linux-running laptops with Project Sputnik, “a 6 month effort to explore the possibility of creating an open-source laptop targeted [...]
I would love this – if it was _not_ an ultraportable. The current models are too constraining, with too little memory, low-resolution screens and middling-to-bad performance. My current laptop has 4Gb and it is just not enough. I can’t actually run the code I’m working on right now with that amount of memory.
I’d get a Lenovo Thinkpad already, but they’re limited to 8Gb and I hope to hold out until they bump it to 16Gb before I buy.
Janne, if successful we are hoping to offer a second beefy config that would have 16GB. Stay tuned…
16GB! As a computer scientist that is often bemoaning the lack of RAM for my VMs, I’d pull the trigger on a 16GB model in a heartbeat!
laptop sputnik project ubuntu developer
for its contents. This is a safe-cache copy of the original web site.